How to Make a Crowded Bedroom Look More Open

Bedrooms are meant to be a place of relaxation and sleep.

When you first decorate a bedroom with basic furnishings, such as a bed, dresser and perhaps a wardrobe, there is plenty of leftover space. Over time, however, a bedroom can begin to feel crowded with the addition of new items, including accent tables and lamps. Smaller bedrooms can feel especially crowded. While you can always opt for a remodel and increase the size of the room, other strategies allow you to make a crowded room look more open without the need for a complete makeover.

Under-Bed Storage

Although the traditional way of storing clothing in a room without a closet is to have a wardrobe or dresser, these take up additional space within the room, creating a crowded look and feel. Consider storage underneath the bed as an alternative. Many waterbeds have this feature built in, with a drawer system that is part of the overall frame for the bed, and you can use this design to your advantage. Bed frames with built-in drawers allow you to eliminate wardrobes and dressers and keep the daily clothing items hidden out of sight. Alternatively, for beds that are high enough off the ground, use storage containers that are easily slid out when needed.

Lighting

Lighting is an important element in helping the overall feel of a room. Well-lit rooms feel more open and spacious, while dark rooms feel cramped and tight. One way to alleviate this issue is to simply replace the current bulbs in the room with a brighter version, but placement of the fixtures is also key. Recessed, or can, lighting, which directs light downward, does not illuminate the walls, making the room feel small when viewed by the human eye. Wall-hung lights are one option to help increase the perceived size of a room, but you can also add lamps and track lighting to brighten up the room.

Wall Decorations

Wall decorations such as mirrors, pictures and other sundries are fine to use when creating a design aesthetic for a room, but overuse results in overcrowding. Consider removing some of the existing wall decorations and give the walls some actual space. The fewer wall coverings, the more perceived space a room has. One option with wall hangings is to give yourself one wall that is a “feature” wall, which has the decorations, while the other walls of the room are plain and undecorated. Opt for fewer, larger decorations such as a wall tapestry as opposed to many different smaller items, which make the wall feel cluttered.

Colors

The colors of a room directly work together with the lighting of a room to determine the feel. The lighter and brighter the colors, the more open and spacious things appear. If you have plenty of lighting in the room, along with windows, darker colors are not an issue. When you are limited on lighting, on the other hand, the best choice is to stick with lighter colors. You can use dark items, such as trim and patterns on wallpaper, but the overall theme of the room and the overall color of the walls and floors should be as light as possible to help avoid overcrowding.

About the Author

Tim Anderson has been freelance writing since 2007. His has been published online through GTV Magazine, Home Anatomy, TravBuddy, MMO Hub, Killer Guides and the Delegate2 group. He spent more than 15 years as a third-generation tile and stone contractor before transitioning into freelance writing.